Building a Messaging Architecture for each audience persona arms marketing and sales teams with a consistent, omnichannel message that can guide channel choices, tactical decisions, creative and offers.
Too often, messaging is the last thing marketers address when putting together a marketing program. But the truth is, it should be among the first things marketers consider.
What story are you trying to tell about your company, product or service? How do you make that story compelling enough to engage prospects? What will move them to action? And what do you want them to do next?
All of these questions need to be answered before making important tactical decisions (after all, different tactics lend themselves to different types of storytelling). Developing that story is the job of the Messaging Architecture.
The development of a detailed Marketing Architecture for the Fort Worth Zoo led to a brand repositioning that helped the Zoo top one million visitors in a single year.
What does a Messaging Architecture do?
An effective Messaging Architecture tells the prospect 1) Why we’re vital to their lives (Relevancy), 2) why we’re worth the effort (Value), 3) how we inspire trust (Transparency) and 4) why it’s critical to act now (Urgency). It’s a deceptively simple — but incredibly powerful — tool that will prove useful to marketing, sales, internal training and c-suite communications. It allows you to present a unified way of thinking and talking about your company.
How does it work?
The key to building a successful Messaging Architecture is collaboration. You need to gather the perspectives of the C-suite, sales, marketing and other key stakeholders. The goal is to create a unified communication platform that transcends departmental silos and provides guidance for external partners in order to develop a clear, omnichannel message.
The Messaging Architecture begins with a single statement: I will not purchase your product or service. From there, our task is to identify all the possible reasons why — emotional as well as logical — and craft meaningful messages to effectively counter each objection. Sound simple? Believe me, it’s not.
As you develop and fine-tune your answers to each objection, you’ll create a number of message iterations: a long-form editorial version, a sales pitch version, an elevator speech and long and short promotional copy.
It’s a major undertaking. But the rewards are significant. I’ve developed Messaging Architectures for clients in the real estate, financial, insurance and family entertainment verticals, for both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. In every case, the implementation of the Messaging Architecture has led to an increase in MQLs and conversion rates.
Consider implementing your own Messaging Architecture. You’ll be surprised how valuable a tool it can be.
Jeff Coleman is a marketing strategist, creative director and writer with more than four decades’ experience delivering results for B2C and B2B clients nationwide. Get in touch by calling 682-262-7243 or by emailing jeff@colemanconverts.com.